


Service Dogs for Superheroes (SDfSH): Christmas/Hanukkah

by literally_no_idea



Series: Service Dogs for Superheroes (SDfSH) Main Series [38]
Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: Bucky Barnes Feels, Bucky Barnes-centric, Christmas, Christmas Fluff, Christmas Presents, Don't copy to another site, Gen, Hanukkah, Jewish Bucky Barnes, Jewish Character, SDfSH 'verse, Tony Stark Has A Heart
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-04-20
Updated: 2019-04-20
Packaged: 2020-01-22 20:36:56
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,413
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18535036
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/literally_no_idea/pseuds/literally_no_idea
Summary: When they reached December, Bucky expected the tower to become one giant Christmas decoration, because it just seemed like the kind of thing Tony would do, and he was right; it only took until December 4th for Christmas trees, wreaths, lights, and other decorations to start lining the halls and filling the rooms on the communal floor.What Bucky hadn’t expected, however, was to wake up December 23rd and find a menorah on a small table outside his bedroom door, the shamash and first candle apparently lit the night before, and a small box in front of the menorah with “To: Bucky” printed on a small sticker on the top. Bucky picks up the box, ripping the paper off and opening it.





	Service Dogs for Superheroes (SDfSH): Christmas/Hanukkah

**Author's Note:**

> Welcome back to the series, or if you're new here, welcome! This part of the series is about Christmas and Hanukkah in the tower! Enjoy!

When they reached December, Bucky expected the tower to become one giant Christmas decoration, because it just seemed like the kind of thing Tony would do, and he was right; it only took until December 4th for Christmas trees, wreaths, lights, and other decorations to start lining the halls and filling the rooms on the communal floor.

 

What Bucky hadn’t expected, however, was to wake up December 23rd and find a menorah on a small table outside his bedroom door, the shamash and first candle apparently lit the night before, and a small box in front of the menorah with “To: Bucky” printed on a small sticker on the top. Bucky picks up the box, ripping the paper off and opening it.

 

Inside is a pile of gold foil covered chocolate coins, presumably meant to be gelt. When Bucky removes all the chocolate gelt, he discovers another, even smaller box buried underneath, that he opens to reveal a miniature dreidel. The dreidel is blue and white, the letters on the sides embossed in silver. Bucky turns it over in his hand, trying to figure out who would have left this here. He figures it was probably Steve, but then Steve’s bedroom door opens, and Steve looks over, frowning.

 

“I didn’t realize you still celebrated Hanukkah,” Steve says, and now Bucky’s really, really confused.

 

“I… don't? I mean, I still believe, but I don’t really practice my faith, not anymore. I thought this was you.” Bucky gestures at the table, and Steve shakes his head.

 

“No, I kept meaning to ask you, but I guess I just forgot, too caught up in everything lately. But if it wasn’t us, who set that up?”

 

Bucky wishes he knew the answer to that question.

 

* * *

 

Bucky tries to figure out on his own who would be the most likely to find out Bucky’s religion, and who would put in the time and effort to actually set up a menorah for him, but by the end of the day Bucky still isn’t really sure. It could be any of them, really. Maybe not Rhodey or Thor, he just can’t picture either of them knowing, but Tony, Clint, and Natasha are all likely options. Could be Loki, or even Sam, maybe even Bruce, but Bucky is more doubtful about those three.

 

Regardless, when Bucky goes back to his and Steve's floor later that night, he finds a box of new Chanukah candles under the table, and he replaces the first, melted-down candle with a new one and adds the second candle. Fubar watches him, sniffing the candles and the table curiously.

 

He repeats the blessing quietly:  _ Ba-ruch A-tah Ado-nai E-lo-he-nu Me-lech ha-olam a-sher ki-de-sha-nu be-mitz-vo-tav ve-tzi-va-nu le-had-lik ner Cha-nu-kah.  Ba-ruch A-tah Ado-nai E-lo-he-nu Me-lech Ha-olam she-a-sa ni-sim la-avo-te-nu ba-ya-mim ha-hem bi-zman ha-zeh.  _ (Blessed are You, Lord our G‑d, King of the universe, who has sanctified us with His commandments, and commanded us to kindle the Chanukah light. Blessed are You, Lord our G‑d, King of the universe, who performed miracles for our forefathers in those days, at this time.)

 

Bucky lights the two candles with the shamash candle, watching the light for a moment before going to bed, Fubar trotting happily at his side.

 

* * *

 

When Bucky wakes up the next morning, there’s a new package on the table, this one slightly larger than the last, another “To: Bucky” label taped to it. He opens it, and finds another pile of chocolate gelt inside, dumping it out on the bed. Fubar gives the chocolate a quick sniff, then turns to pick up the discarded wrapping paper, dropping it in the trash while Bucky opens the next box.

 

Inside the second box is a bracelet, braided leather with an engraved metal plate that reads “באקי בארנס” or “Bucky Barnes” in Hebrew. Bucky stares at the bracelet for a moment, speechless, and then slides it over his flesh hand, where it fits perfectly on his wrist. Bucky thinks about it for a moment. It could only be Natasha, Clint, or Tony, because they’re the only ones who could determine his wrist size with such accuracy without needing to measure his wrist first.

 

It’s probably not Clint, because this would be outside Clint’s comfort zone in terms of gift giving, and it’s probably not Natasha, because she would have gone for something slimmer and sleeker, a thin metal chain rather than braided leather. That leaves Tony, which is simultaneously shocking and not surprising in the slightest.

 

Bucky is surprised because he’s not sure how Tony found out that he’s Jewish, he thought Tony probably still secretly hated him, he’s amazed Tony hasn’t already tried to ask whether he liked the gifts or not, and so far Tony hasn’t tried to do anything particularly ridiculous as a gift. On the other hand, Bucky probably should have expected this.

 

Tony has the kind of personality (and trauma history, for that matter) that makes him want to please everyone, Tony seems to be capable of finding out anything he wants to know, including the beliefs of his teammates, he’s actually far more likely to personally make gifts for people (usually some kind of technology) than to buy impersonal ones, and he does seem to try and only get people things he thinks they’ll like, like the teas he buys for Natasha every Christmas.

 

Still, the fact that Tony did all of this just for Bucky makes Bucky feel a little overwhelmed and… loved. That even after everything, Tony cares enough about him to try and respect his religious beliefs and holidays.

 

So when Bucky goes up to the communal floor to make breakfast, he waits until Tony comes in to grab coffee to say something.

 

“Hey, Stark,” he says, as casually as he can manage, “Can you stick around after breakfast? I wanna talk to you about something.”

 

Tony stiffens almost imperceptibly, but nods.

 

When breakfast is finished and everyone else has left to go do whatever it is they’re doing this morning, Bucky heads into the kitchen to wash dishes, and Tony follows him, taking over to dry the dishes that Bucky hands him.

 

“You put a menorah outside my room,” Bucky says after a few moments of the sound of dishes clinking in the sink, and Tony nods.

 

“Yeah, I did. Was that okay? Sorry, I didn’t mean to overstep or anything, I just figured, with all the Christmas stuff, it didn’t seem fair to just not acknowledge your holiday, too, but I also didn’t know how you felt about anyone else knowing, so I figured just having it by your room was enough? And I read online that they usually put the menorah by doorways, so I thought maybe that was close enough? And--”

 

“Tony, it's fine,” Bucky interrupts. “Actually, I really appreciate it. I don’t really actively practice Judaism, anymore, but I still believe. I just don’t really bring it up because, well, let’s be honest, there’s some strong anti-semitic ideas in this country nowadays, and it just never seemed very important, with everything else going on. It was a little surprising, at first, to see that outside my door, but it’s comforting, too. So thank you.”

 

Tony opens his mouth like he’s going to say something, then seems to decide against it, nodding silently instead and taking the plate Bucky hands him to dry.

 

After a few minutes, Tony speaks. “So, Christmas is tomorrow. Are you okay with receiving Christmas presents, too? And, I don’t know, did you want to move the menorah up here instead? I wouldn’t mind lighting it with you, if you wanted, and I’m pretty sure everyone else would be happy to stick around, too.”

 

Both questions take Bucky by surprise, and he takes a second to recover before answering. “Yeah, Christmas presents are also fine. And yeah, that would. That would be really nice.”

 

* * *

 

Tony and Steve move the table from outside Bucky’s door to the doorway from the hallway into the living room on the communal floor, across from the Christmas tree in the corner that has presents stacked all around it.

 

Bucky can’t quite get rid off the tight feeling in his chest that he would normally associate with panic, but that he currently identifies as gratitude. He never thought he would reach a point in his life where anyone besides just Steve would care this much about him, especially after the Soldier, and now he not only has Steve back, but even the one person that he probably hurt the most cares enough about him to learn about his religion.

 

Despite his best efforts, Bucky can’t help but get a little choked up while lighting the candles that evening when he hears Tony, Steve, and Natasha all reciting the blessings with him, albeit in varyingly bad accents.

 

This time, Tony hands him his gift in person, once again in a slightly larger box. Under the chocolate gelt is a single, perfect plum. Bucky’s torn between laughing and flipping Tony off. He does both, and everyone else looks very confused, but Bucky can’t find the motivation to explain when he has a perfectly good plum to eat.

 

* * *

 

The next morning, Bucky makes his way up to the communal floor to make breakfast, only to find Natasha and Clint already there, making pancakes side by side. They look up when Bucky comes in, Fubar trotting at his side.

 

“Morning! Merry Christmas, and Happy Hanukkah! Well, again,” Clint says, and Natasha flicks his ear, rolling her eyes.

 

“Come help us make pancakes, we’ve got a lot of people coming over to open presents this morning, because Tony apparently decided it was important to invite everyone and their dog, literally,” Natasha says, and Bucky wanders over to look at what they’ve made so far.

 

“Hmm, you’ve got some good ones here, but a few of these are kind of burnt,” he says, and Clint whines.

 

“Hey, I’m Deaf! How was I supposed to know it was burning!”

 

“You’re Deaf, Clint, your eyes and nose work just fine.”

 

“I hate you.”

 

“Likewise. Move over.”

 

* * *

 

Christmas present opening is a hectic affair; it takes a while to get the right presents to the right people, and then there’s heroes, dogs, and wrapping paper covering every available surface as people unwrap their gifts.

 

Some of the gifts are ones Bucky had expected people to get; Tony gets Natasha a new set of different teas and Jessica two different bottles of whiskey, Rhodey gets Peter a shirt that reads “Never Trust An Atom, They Make Up Everything,” and Natasha gets Clint a tag for Lucky’s collar that reads “Lucky” fingerspelled in ASL and Steve a sketchbook and a glass “swear jar.” (Steve glares at her when he unwraps it, reaching into his pocket and putting a dollar inside without breaking eye contact. “You didn’t even swear,” Clint says, confused, and Steve, still not breaking eye contact, says “You can’t hear my thoughts.”)

 

Other gifts were more unexpected; Natasha gets Jessica three different bags of candy, Peter gets Bruce an adult coloring book titled “Calm the F*ck Down,” and Clint gets Frank a potted plant. (“I named it Cerberus,” Clint tells him, “but you can rename it, I don’t think it will mind. It’s a succulent, so you shouldn’t be able to kill it unless you’re intentionally trying to.”)

 

There’s more gifts going around than Bucky can keep track of, and he’s a little too preoccupied with his own gifts anyway. He’s got quite the pile; a cookbook from Frank, with a few handwritten recipes written on a folded piece of paper in the front cover, a book on ASL from Clint, because Bucky had talked to him about wanting to learn the language, and a new deep dish pizza pan, also from Clint (subtle, really).

 

A leather jacket from Jessica with the left sleeve crudely cut off ( _ asshole _ , Bucky thinks, rolling his eyes. Though to be fair, he got her seven different stress balls, so they’re probably even), a set of multicolored hair ties, ribbons, and scrunchies from Loki, because they’ve both complained about their long hair getting in the way more than once, and a stack of origami paper from Danny, because Bucky’s been trying to learn how to do origami as a way to pass time and calm down after therapy sessions.

 

A book titled “The Subtle Art of Not Giving A F*ck” from Sam, a 1,000 piece dog puzzle from Bruce, a “Cute Cats Farting” coloring book from Peter, that Bucky just… doesn’t even know how he’s supposed to feel about, an emperor penguin and chick plush with an adoption certificate and species fact card from Natasha, a box of homemade Asgardian candy from Thor, and a blanket with sleeves and an attached note from Rhodey that says “figured the metal arm is cold in the winter, this might help keep you warm.”

 

A jumbo, squishy, foam yellow ducky from Wade that Bucky finds strange but oddly endearing, a button Bucky can pin onto his shirt that reads “Please Don’t Touch Me, I Don’t Like It” from Nebula, a service dog patch from Luke that reads “Chief Medical Officer” with the Star Trek insignia, because Bucky had mentioned that he liked the show, and a box of plum-related things from Matt, including two scented candles, a jar of plum jam, and a plum scented soap, all of which confuses Bucky until he realizes that Matt can probably smell the plum scented shampoo he uses, which would be weird if Bucky didn’t already live in the same building as two fucking Norse gods.

 

It’s the last two gifts, however, that really tug at Bucky’s heartstrings. The first is from Tony, a box the size of a mini fridge that Bucky opens to reveal a large, weighted, navy blue hoodie that Bucky pulls on and finds fits perfectly, followed by a soft cotton navy blue weighted lap pad and, underneath that, a massive weighted blanket in a navy blue chenille material, big enough to fit Bucky’s king size bed (because Tony doesn’t do anything by halves). Bucky runs his fingers over the soft material, looking up at Tony, who walks over with a questioning look on his face after only a few seconds of Bucky staring at him.

 

“Thank you,” Bucky says, gesturing at the box, and the corners of Tony’s mouth turn up into the tiniest smile.

 

“I figured, with Hanukkah, it’s not really traditional to give gifts besides gelt, but I still wanted you to have these, so. I’m really glad you didn’t mind celebrating Christmas, too, otherwise I would have had to find a way to give these to you without being awkward about it.”

 

Bucky laughs. “Yeah, you would have been awkward about it, too.”

 

“Rude! And after I just gave you such nice gifts,” Tony says, pouting like a child, which only makes Bucky laugh more.

 

“You’re right, I’m sorry. But seriously, Tony, thank you.”

 

Tony nods. “You’re welcome. It’s the least I could do, really.”

 

Tony walks away before Bucky has a chance to say anything, so Bucky turns back to his next, and last, gift instead, his gift from Steve.

 

It’s a small, square package, and Bucky tears the paper off gently, because it looks like it might rip if he isn’t careful. He’s right; the paper peels away to reveal a small photo album with a wood cover, the front cover decorated with Steve’s careful art. There’s a picture in the center of the front cover, a picture of Bucky and Steve during the war, standing side by side with their arms around each other's shoulders.

 

On either side of the picture, Steve’s drawn some detailed flowers and vines, and above and below the photo, in Steve’s neat scrawl, are the words “Bucky: I’m With You To The End Of The Line.”

 

Bucky flips through the album, which is filled with pictures in chronological order from childhood until now, some of just Bucky, some of just Steve, but most with them together, from the day they met when Bucky dragged Steve out of a fight he was clearly losing (“I had him on the ropes!” Steve had protested, and Bucky had rolled his eyes, using the sleeve of his jacket to wipe the blood off of Steve’s face where the cut above his eye was still bleeding a little. “Sure you did, you wore him down for me,”) to the picture Clint had gotten of them the other day, sitting on the couch side by side with the dogs at their feet, laughing at some stupid joke Steve had made about the movie they were watching.

 

Bucky can’t help getting a little choked up, and he stands, rushing over to Steve and wrapping him up in a hug before Steve can even get a word out, knocking the wind out of him with the force of the hug.

 

“Oof,” Steve manages, “I guess you opened your gift, then?”

 

“I did, you sappy punk,” Bucky mumbles into Steve’s shoulder, and Steve finally reaches up, hugging Bucky back.

 

“Jerk.”

 

* * *

 

Later that night, when everyone else has gone home, the people that are still living in the tower gather back on the communal floor as Bucky repeats the blessings and lights the four candles on the menorah. Tony hands him another box. This one has a blue and white striped tie at the bottom of the box under the chocolate gelt, and Bucky takes that back to his floor along with all of his other gifts from the day.

 

* * *

 

The next four days mean four more nights of the team joining Bucky to light the menorah, and four more gifts from Tony: a spatula with the word “latkes” on it, a Star of David cookie cutter (and yeah, Bucky’s starting to notice a cooking and baking theme in a lot of his gifts, but he’s okay with that, he’s just glad that everyone at least likes his food), a snow globe with a menorah inside, and a “Mensch on a Bench” Dreidel Dog, a white stuffed animal dog with a blue dreidel pattern on it and a blue dreidel shaped patch over one eye that makes Bucky happier than it probably has any right to.

 

When everyone’s started to head to the elevator to go to bed, Bucky stops Tony before he can leave. “Thank you,” he says, and Tony turns to look at him, grinning.

 

“Of course! I’m glad you liked the dog,” Tony says, and Bucky shakes his head.

 

“No, not just that. I meant, thank you for doing this. All of this. You didn’t have to check what my religion was. You didn’t have to go out of your way to accommodate that. You didn’t have to put in the time and effort to learn the traditions, and set up a menorah, and get gelt, and learn the blessings so you could say them with me. You didn’t have to do any of that, but you did it anyway, and that means a lot to me. Thank you.”

 

Tony looks momentarily speechless, but he shakes it off quickly. “You’re important, Barnes. You deserve people that care enough to make sure that you’re never excluded from something for no reason.”

 

“Can I hug you?” Bucky asks the question before he can overthink it, and he’s about to retract the statement when Tony hugs him, pulls him in tight and hugs him in a grip that’s stronger than Bucky would have expected, what with Tony’s height, but then again, Tony’s a mechanic and a superhero, Bucky’s not sure why he’s surprised.

 

He hugs back, and then both men let go, stepping away. Bucky’s a little unsure of what to say at this point, he still doesn’t really hug many people besides Steve, so this is kind of weird, but Tony saves him from having to worry about it.

 

“You matter, Bucky. Just, hold on to that thought, okay? But also, hold onto the thought that I love your blueberry pancakes. Hold on to that until morning, because I’d really love some of those?”

 

Bucky laughs. “Yeah, I can do that. Good night, Tony.”

 

“Good night, Bucky. And happy Hanukkah.”

 

“Happy Hanukkah.” Bucky goes to bed feeling more cared about than he has in a long while, one arm around his new Dreidel Dog and the other resting over Fubar’s chest. Bucky drifts off, falling asleep listening to Fubar snore.

**Author's Note:**

> No service dog notes this time, but just some other little notes and facts from me:
> 
> -Everything about Hanukkah and Judaism in this story is what I learned after a few hours of research. If I messed anything up, I'm really really sorry, and please, I am begging you to let me know if I've gotten anything wrong. I absolutely do not intend to misrepresent anyone's beliefs or religious practices.
> 
> -The thing with the plum comes from Captain America: Civil War, in that scene where Bucky is buying plums right before he starts getting chased, and he never gets the chance to eat the plums (and, in fact, they mysteriously disappear in the chase). Bucky just wanted his plums, okay. (Also, apparently they're good for memory, which is hilarious to me.)
> 
> -I chose this year's (2019's) timeline for Hanukkah, because it changes year to year.
> 
> Bucky's dog Fubar is based on the lovely webcomic [ Bucky and Fubar](https://buckyandfubar.tumblr.com/) by the amazing [ yawpkatsi ](https://yawpkatsi.tumblr.com/) on tumblr!
> 
> With that said, if you'd like to see other drabbles and notes related to this series, or you'd like to talk to me about this series or anything else, you can find me on tumblr [ here](https://servicedogsforsuperheroes.tumblr.com/)
> 
> As always, thank you for reading!!


End file.
